Septic fees to increase

By Frank Bradley

Sentinel writer

In Thursday’s county commissioner’s meeting, the board voted to increase several health department fees to bring them more in line with the true cost to the county. Effective July 1, 2010, the county inspection fee to assure a septic is sufficient will rise from zero to $100; inspection of a septic repair will rise from zero to $50.

The cost to an owner who wants to install a septic system in a high risk area will be raised from $250 to $750; however that increase will not go into effect until October 1st. Health Director Janice Patterson told the board of commissioners that these fees will more accurately reflect the true cost to the county because it requires several inspection trips. She said usually the county has no more than two or three of these a year.

Also, the cost of inspecting new wells in a high risk area, which is within 500 feet of an underground septic or storage tank will increase by $25 from $300 to $325. The cost to inspect the repair of a well jumps from $110 to $150, and the cost to inspect the abandonment of a well goes from zero to $50.

Patterson said the cost for a pregnancy test will now be $5, and that all other health related fees in the county remain the same.

Becky Thompson, director of the county’s department of transportation asked the board to approve several written internal policies regarding safety, ADA compliance, Drug & Alcohol, Charter Service and others. She said most of the policies she gets from federal and state directives. That the county has been following them all along, just that they haven’t had them in writing. She said it was important to get them in writing because her department was due for an inspection on June 24th and this action needed to be done to make sure the county was in compliance. The board voted to approve the policies and specified that board chair Herbert Cheeks was authorized to sign them. Cheeks did not attend this meeting because he was at the Gainesville hospital awaiting the birth of a new grandchild.

The board voted to approve an application for a QSCBP grant for Clay County Schools in the amount of $756,156. This was for monies to be used toward the construction of a new primary school. It is noted the county has not approved the construction of the school, only that an application be made in case other monies become available for the school construction. The cost of that school is estimated to be $10 million, and could only be contemplated if there is other zero interest funds available from the state.

The board agreed to adopt an agreement with the state association of county commissioners to get its insurance via that pool. No other insurance will offer better coverage at lower premiums, the county manager told the board.

The board heard a request for variance by homeowner Bert Wiley asking that a storage shed that violated a 30 foot flood plain setback ordinance be allowed to be grandfathered in. Wiley said he was unaware of the violation at the time the building was built, and that it was much needed for himself and his wife, both of whom are in poor health and have a difficult time getting about.

“This shed is convenient from our backdoor for us to get to the shed,” Wiley said. “It is not too far away for us to get to to store things. We are both 82. The board agreed to make a decision and to let  Mr. Wiley know within 10 days.